#ClassicsaDay #ArmisticeClassics Week 4

November 19, 2018, is the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the First World War. The #ClassicaDay team asked participants to post classical works related to the conflict. 

For my part, I tried to find examples from both sides of the war, and from as many different countries as possible. Here are my posts from the last week of November.

Rudi Stephan (Germany) - Music for Orchestra (1912)

Stephan's "Music for Orchestra" marked him as one of the most promising composers of the early 1900s. His music pushed past post-romanticism into an early form of Expressionism. He was killed by a sniper at the Russian front in 1915. He had completed only about twenty works.

Benjamin Britten (UK) - Diversions for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra, Op. 21

Pianist Paul Wittgenstein lost his right arm while serving in the Germany army during World War I. Determined to carry on after the war, he commissioned left-handed piano works from composers across Europe. Wittgenstein commissioned this work from Britten in 1940. He premiered it in 1942 with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Like all of his commissions, Wittgenstein retained exclusive performance rights during his lifetime.

Arthur Benjamin (Australia) - Viola Sonata

Australian composer Arthur Benjamin was serving in the Royal Flying Corps when he was shot down in 1918. He had lost the dogfight to Herman Goering. Benjamin was sent to the Ruhleben internment camp, where several other professional musicians (mostly enemy civilians) were held. He wrote an unpublished violin sonata for performance at the camp.

Charles Ives - They are There! (1918)

Charles Ives wrote "They Are There!" to stir patriotism for the war effort. It's pure Ives. The music mashes up several patriotic songs. According to the lyrics, "Most wars are made by small stupid selfish bossing groups, while the people have no say. But there'll come a day when they'll smash all dictators to the wall."

John Foulds - A World Requiem, Op. 60

Fould's World Requiem is a memorial to all the casualties of the Great War, regardless of nationality. It required over 1,200 performers. The Requiem premiered in 1921. Initially popular, A World Requiem was seldom performed after 1926, when attitudes towards the conflict changed. Foulds career faded along with the popularity of A World Requiem.

Halsam American Brick Build - Bridge

In the mid-1950s' Halsam offered interlocking brick building toys made from pressed wood. I'm assembling each of the models shown in the instruction booklet for their 60/1 and 60/2 building sets. I'm calling it the Halsam American Brick Build.

The twelfth build is a bridge. This was one of my favorite things to build with this set. The plans call for four pillars spanning the (imaginary) water. But you can make as many as you have bricks to build them, making a much longer footbridge.

The approaches are assembled in halves.

The yellow bricks that form the steps secure the two halves.

The bridge supports are somewhat tricky to build. You have to balance everything on a single column of brick.

Once assembled, it's easy to connect the supports together. And, as I said, with enough bricks, you can build a pretty long bridge.

Dussek Complete Piano Sonatas Volume 4 - Illuminating

This release features sonatas that span Dussek's career. And since they're played on fortepianos of the period, they also provide insight into the development of the piano.

The Sonata in A-flat major, Op. 5 No. 3 and the Sonata in B-flat major, Op. 24 are relatively early works. Written in 1788 and 1793 respectively, Tuija Hakkila performs them on a 1790s 5-octave restored Viennese fortepiano.

The Sonata in A, Op. 43 (1800) and the Sonata in F sharp minor, Op. 61 (1806) are played on a copy of a 1799 Longman Clementi fortepiano. It has a 6-octave range, and three strings per note (vs. two for the Viennese instrument).

The differences are audible. The Viennese instrument is noisier. I could easily hear the sound of the action, and there was a slight buzzing in the upper register. The Longman Clementi had an overall smoother sound across the instrument's range. And it had a stronger sound as well, with action that was almost unnoticeable.

The music reflects the instrument it was written for. The early sonatas on this release sound less expressive, and closer to the Baroque than the later works. Dussek takes full advantage of the newer instrument, expanding the range of the music, and increasing the contrast in dynamics.

Tuija Hakkila is a superb performer, matching her touch to the capabilities of the instruments. The Vienna fortepiano sounded a little fragile, and Hakkila plays it gently (yet expressively).

The Longman Clementi seemed robust enough to handle Dussek's grand gestures. And Hakkila doesn't hold back.

Of the four volumes in this series, I found this installment the most interesting, and the most instructive. And there's some fine music-making going on here, too.

Jan Ladislav Dussek
Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 4
Sonatas Op. 5 No. 3; Op. 24; Op. 43, and Op. 61
Tuija Hakkila, piano
Brilliant 95604

Diabelli Project 216 - Piece for Piano, Part 2

The Diabelli Project is about offering my weekly flash-composition sketches freely to all. Like Antonio Diabelli's theme, these sketches aren't great music. But perhaps (as in Diabelli's case) there's a Beethoven out there who can do great things with them.

I decided to try writing another complete piece in 10-minute weekly installments. It's definitely exercising a different set of creative muscles than my daily work requires.

This week's installment of my Piece for Piano revisits the opening material. After the arrival of the stacked triads, the right-hand returns to its simple rhythmic figure. This time it's even simpler. Rather than a two-note cluster, it's just one repeated note. And the left hand simply repeats its opening note. Obviously, this suspension of motion won't last. Can't wait to see with my subconscious comes up with next week.

As always, you can use any or all of the posted Diabelli Project sketches as you wish for free. Just be sure to share the results. I'm always curious to see what direction someone else can take this material.

Panufnik - Celestial Bird gives the gift of song

"Celestial Bird" is more than an album -- it's a present. In celebration of Panufnik's 50th birthday, this release brings together ten of her previously unrecorded choral works.  The music is all fairly recent, dating from 2013 through 2018. And it shows the wide-ranging interests of the composer.

St. Pancras Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis is a fine example of her sacred choral writing, drawing on -- but not limited by -- choral tradition.  Her Christmas Carol, "A Cradle Song" is a quiet, beautiful lullaby that should appeal to most community and church choirs.

Jeffrey Skidmore and Ex Cathedra commission two works on the album. "Since We Parted" marks the centenary of the end of World War I. The sparing use of trumpet, harp, cello, and piano add to the poignancy of the music.  The second commission, "Child of Heaven," uses Indian modes to create an undulating line that runs through the work, tying the various motifs together.

The album opens with "Unending Love," a work for choir, Indian violin, percussion, sitar, and Carnatic singer. Panufnik's always been interested in other cultures, and as this work shows, she's no dilettante. The music gives the Western choir and the Indian performers common ground, letting them work together to create something greater than both parts.

It's a wonderful work. My only complaint is that "Unending Love" ends far too soon. Classical Indian music can easily run 30 minutes or longer. "Unending Love" clocks in at 9:14. It's a sonic world I would have enjoyed visiting for another 10 minutes or so.

Happy Birthday to Roxanna Panufnik, and many happy returns. The birthday may be hers, but the present, "Celestial Bird," is ours to enjoy.

Roxanna Panufnik: Celestial Bird
Ex Cathedra
Milapfest
Jeffrey Skidmore conductor
Signum Classics SIGCD543